Covid threat: Patna civil courts to remain shut today

PATNA: The Patna civil court would remain shut on Thursday for sanitization of entire premises after a lawyer tested Covid-19 positive on Tuesday night.
The court also remained closed even on Wednesday, except the hearing of only urgent matters through videoconferencing by the judicial officers from their residences. It would function the same way on Thursday.
District and sessions judge Rudra Prakash Mishra had passed an order late Tuesday night for suspending physical appearance in court till Thursday.Physical functioning in subdivisional courts at Danapur and Patna City would also remained suspended till Thursday.
Civil court public prosecutor Vijay Sinha said the lawyer who tested positive is a state government special public prosecutor. “He visited a doctor for treatment of his wife and felt unwell thereafter. He got himself tested and was found positive Tuesday night,” he said.
Sinha said sanitization would be carried out at Danapur and Patna City courts as well. “The samples of lawyers, court staff and judges must be taken for test as they remain in touch on the court premises,” he said.
The physical function of the Kishanganj civil court was also suspended on Tuesday for sanitization after two of the court staff tested Covid-19 positive. Subordinate courts in Bihar had started physical and virtual functioning on roster basis from first week of June after virtually remaining non-functional during the lockdown period.